Businesses pumped for 'Pro Bowl bump' after record year in tourism

'Best year ever' for Hawaii's tourism industry

"I can't back up the truck enough on the Raiders. I wish I had more 42s and 44s! I mean this is Raider country," said Quicksilver manager George Kam. To say he was stoked the Pro Bowl is in Hawaii was a bit of an understatement.

There was no avoiding questions about last year's lackluster game and what the NFL plans to do about it, but the league is also trying to give the event extra legs by boosting marketing to international visitors in other countries, as well as expanding local events all week to show its commitment to Hawaii fans.

He said more international marketing for the Pro Bowl jives with their overall strategy.

2012 was a record-breaking year for Hawaii's tourism industry, with the biggest revenue bump coming from Asia.

"We learned from APEC that America needs to pivot to Asia, and Hawaii's perfectly positioned for that, so we'd like to partner with the NFL to bring more fans from Japan, China and Australia," he said.

"I think it's been great for the NFL. It's definitely been great for us," said Kam.

In 2012, tourists spent a record $14.3 billion in Hawaii.

That's because there were more tourists than ever -- nearly 8 million people.